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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Weather
NEWS ITEM NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE IOTA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION AT 6 AM, MONDAY 16THNOVEMBER 2020. ...IOTA HAS CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN INTO A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE… …EXPECTED TO BRING POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC WINDS, LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, AND EXTREME RAINFALL IMPACTS TO CENTRAL AMERICA… AT 4 AM EST, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IOTA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 13.6° NORTHAND LONGITUDE 81.1° WEST, OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF ISLA DE PROVIDENCIA, COLUMBIA. IOTA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 10 MPH. A WESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST THROUGH LANDFALL. AFTER LANDFALL, A WESTWARD TO WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CORE OF IOTA WILL PASS NEAR OR OVER PROVIDENCIA ISLAND DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS, AND MAKE LANDFALL IN NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA AND EASTERN HONDURAS TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 145 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IOTA IS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. ADDITIONAL RAPID STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS, AND IOTA COULD POSSIBLY BE A CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE WHEN IT APPROACHES CENTRAL AMERICA TONIGHT. THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON. PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: C. WATSON-RAHMING ISSUED: 16/11/2020 @ 5:00 AM
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